Through a combination of funding, guarantees, and tailored assistance, InvestEU and BlueInvest empower start-ups, SMEs, and other stakeholders to implement innovative, sustainable practices that contribute to Mission Ocean and Waters objectives. These initiatives strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the blue economy, promoting a healthier, more sustainable future for Europe’s waters.
Invest EU Programme
What is it?
This initiative aims at boosting innovation, investment, and job-creation, while providing long-term funding by leveraging private and public funds. The investments, made by the “implementing partners”, are allocated towards social investment and skills, SMEs, sustainable infrastructure, and research, innovation and digitisation. Projects that an apply to this programme must address market failures or investment gaps, must be economically viable, and must help meet EU objectives. This Programme is expected to mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment between 2021-2027.
How is it related to Mission Ocean and Waters?
The Programme covers multiple areas relevant to the Mission Ocean and Waters, including: energy, environment, seas and oceans, and the sustainable bioeconomy. The Programme is strongly aligned with the Mission’s third objective, “achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral, and circular blue economy,” while also indirectly contributing to the first two objectives. By supporting blue economy sectors in reducing their environmental impacts, the Programme helps advance the Mission’s goals in preserving and restoring marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as preventing pollution. It also relates with the European Digital Twin of the Ocean initiative – which aims to model the ocean’s multiple components, provide knowledge and understanding to create trustable predictions.
Aspects of the Programme
It consists of three different components, the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal, with the last two being additional non-financial support tools:
The InvestEU Fund guarantees the investments of financial partners, increasing their capacity to bear risks and thus allowing to mobilise the expected additional investments.
The Advisory Hub works as the central entry point for project promoters and intermediaries that seek advisory support and technical assistance by connecting them with advisory partners. It complements the Fund by supporting the identification, preparation, and development of investment projects.
The Portal works as an online matchmaking tool that enables project promoters to reach investors.
How to apply
To access the InvestEU Fund, private promoters and financial intermediaries must apply directly through selected implementing partners. Small mid-caps, SMEs, social or micro-enterprises have to apply to local commercial or public banks offering financial products covered by the EU guarantee.
Success stories: examples of projects funded by InvestEU
At the COP27 climate conference, the European Investment Fund (EIF), Europe's largest venture capital and private equity financier, signed investments totalling €247 million to enable five equity funds to back €2.5 billion. This new financing contributes to the European Green Deal and REPowerEU.
So far, the EIF has committed:
- €28 million to the Growth Blue Fund I, a private equity fund focusing on the blue economy. It invests in Portuguese small and medium companies across all sectors.
- €30 million to PureTerra Ventures, a water technology early growth fund, which invests in small and medium enterprises across the European Union to scale technologies that radically alter the usage, conservation and treatment of water.
BlueInvest
What is it?
An initiative of the European Commission, it aims to accelerate ocean-based technologies and solutions to boost innovation and investment opportunities by supporting readiness and access to finance for early-stage businesses, SMEs, scale-ups and mid-caps in the blue economy. Moreover, it aims at providing technical assistance, visibility, matchmaking, and opportunity-building for investors and companies, guiding them through their specialisation into the blue economy.
How is it related to Mission Ocean and Waters?
The range of sectors covered by BlueInvest make it highly relevant to all three objectives of Mission Ocean and Waters. These sectors are: aquaculture; blue biotechnology; blue renewable energy; blue tech and ocean observation; coastal and environmental protection and regeneration; coastal and maritime tourism; fisheries; ocean pollution and water management; ship building and refit; and shipping and ports.
Aspects of the Programme
BlueInvest is comprised of several features:
- BlueInvest Community: it offers concrete help with investment and growth prospects in the sector, network opportunities, access to exclusive events, market intelligence and learning opportunities. This is open to entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and innovation stakeholders.
- Readiness Assistance: a coaching programme for high potential EU start-ups and SMEs with innovative products and solutions for the sustainable blue economy. The selected projects and/or businesses will receive coaching packages tailored to their readiness levels and business objectives.
- Fundraising assistance: aims to support equity rounds closures for 20 high potential EU start-ups with innovative blue economy solutions.
- Investors Capacity Building: highly structured training sessions to help investors discover blue economy investment opportunities and develop fundraising and investment strategies to leverage them.
- Project Pipeline: showcases start-ups and SMEs and provides valuable opportunities for investors looking for ventures and for projects looking to establish relationships with investors, corporates, and stakeholders.
- Events: aimed at increasing impact through learning opportunities, knowledge exchange, networking, and B2B matchmaking.
- Knowledge Centre: Open to registered BlueInvest Community members, it offers capacity building courses, training events, and webinars to accelerate business for investment, market access and international expansion.
How to apply
Businesses (project, start-up or SME; mid-cap or a large corporation), expert coaches, investors, and other stakeholders can register to be a member of the BlueInvest Community. Members can access different BlueInvest features depending on their role. Early-stage businesses, SMEs, scale-ups and mid-caps must be headquartered in the EU-27 and must be active in one of the sub-sectors of the blue economy.
Success stories: examples of projects funded by BlueInvest
Arctic Reflections is on a mission to protect Arctic Sea ice, which functions as a natural heat shield and plays a significant role in cooling the planet. Led by an innovative team, this project from the Netherlands combines smart technology, indigenous collaboration, and a deep commitment to sustainability. The Readiness Assistance Programme provided by BlueInvest has helped Arctic Reflections through insights from their coach which allowed them to refine their business model, emphasising government funding and exploring the option of corporate sponsorships. Through their BlueInvest coach’s network, Arctic Reflections found new opportunities in the U.S. and in Canada.
Ficosterra seaweed-based biostimulants activate soil microbiology, boosting nutrient availability for plants and promoting healthier crop growth, which reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Through the support of BlueInvest Readiness Assistance and participation in BlueInvest Days, Ficosterra expanded their network and increased their visibility within the European blue economy. These enabled Ficosterra to secure a grant of over EUR 1 million from the European Innovation Council in 2023. Since joining the BlueInvest community in 2019, they have expanded their production and reach in both Europe and the Americas by forming strategic alliances and new partnerships.
